Attack On Titan: 10 Times Eren Shocked Fans

Eren Yeager is the main character of Attack on Titan. Though many fans originally thought he was a stereotypical manga protagonist, he proved many times throughout the series that he was much more than that. This especially proved to be true when the Marley arc began, turning the hero of the series into the final antagonist.

He did things that nobody ever expected him to do when he was first introduced. From using his powers in ways that were surprising to the terrible things he did by the end of the series, Eren constantly left fans in shock throughout the story.

He Almost Died At The Beginning Of The Series

After Eren and his friends graduated from the 104th Cadet Corps, they had to fight against a lot of titans in the Trost District. Eren was shocked to see his comrades die so quickly. However, the one friend he couldn’t let go of was Armin. As Armin was about to be eaten, Eren pulled him out of a titan’s mouth, only to be consumed himself. Readers thought that the protagonist of the series died at the end of the first volume, but they would soon learn that he became a titan shifter instead.

He Used The Coordinate To Kill Dina Fritz

Eren always hated the titans, but he had a personal vendetta against Dina Fritz, who ate his mother. When he met her again in the Clash of the Titans arc, he felt worthless and punched her, activating the coordinate for the first time. With it, he was able to control the other titans around him and had them eat her. He also had them attack Reiner and Bertholdt, allowing him and his friends to escape two of their greatest enemies.

He Found Out What Was In His Basement

One of the things Eren always wanted to know about was what his father kept secret in the basement of his childhood home. When he returned to Shiganshina, he finally found out, along with Hange, Levi, and Mikasa.

Fans were surprised to learn that people lived outside of Paradis and that these people hated the Eldians there. If it weren’t for Eren, the other characters, as well as readers, never would have witnessed what was arguably the biggest reveal in the series.

He Attacked Marley With The Help Of The Survey Corps

After learning that most of his enemies came from Marley, Eren went there, disguised as a patient in a hospital. There, he got to know his brother, Zeke, as well as Falco, who didn’t know who Eren was. Eren was able to trick Falco into sending a letter to the Survey Corps, instructing them to attack Marley during a festival. In one night, Eren proved to be the devil the world thought he was as he killed many innocent people, inherited the War Hammer Titan, brought Zeke to Paradis, and even lost the Survey Corps’ trust.

He Overthrew Paradis’ Military

Before Eren went to Marley, he secretly worked with Floch in order to create an army, the Yeagerists, which overthrew Paradis’ military. The boy who once wanted to be a soldier in the Survey Corps more than anything became a huge threat to them and made some of its members feel powerless. However, the Survey Corps would eventually fight against the Yeagerists, as well as Eren.

He Treated Mikasa & Armin Terribly

Over the years, Eren became very distant from his closest friends to the point where they barely knew who he was anymore. After overthrowing Paradis’ military, he spoke with Mikasa and Armin and treated them horribly. He told Mikasa that he always hated her and considered her to be his slave, and beat Armin up, letting him know that he thought he was weak. For most fans, this was the moment when they hated Eren the most.

He Survived Decapitation & Betrayed Zeke

When Marley invaded Paradis, Eren and Zeke knew that they were running out of time to come into contact and use the Founding Titan’s powers to achieve their goal. However, the warriors did everything they could in order to stop the Yeager brothers.

Gabi even shot Eren in the head. Luckily, Zeke was able to catch Eren’s flying head, and the two went to the coordinate. There, Eren revealed that he never actually agreed with Zeke’s plan to stop Eldians from being born. His goal was much more sinister.

He Convinced Grisha To Inherit The Founding Titan

In a final attempt to bring Eren over to his side, Zeke brought him inside of their father’s memories. Zeke hoped that he could prove to Eren how Grisha brainwashed him but was shocked to learn that their father raised them differently. Eventually, they got to the memory of when Grisha killed the Reiss family and inherited the Founding Titan. However, Grisha hesitated until Eren was able to convince him to become a murderer and feed himself to his son. For years, everyone thought that Grisha wanted Eren to inherit the Founding Titan, but it turned out that this was Eren’s desire all along.

He Began The Rumbling

After leaving their father’s memories, Eren and Zeke both tried to convince Ymir Fritz to do what they wanted. She ended up listening to Eren and began the Rumbling. The Colossal Titans that were inside of Paradis’ walls broke free and crushed thousands of people as they traveled around the world. In a short period of time, Eren killed 80% of the human race. However, his former comrades were able to catch up to him and stop the Rumbling.

He Was Responsible For His Mother’s Death

Before he died, Eren was able to speak with his friends one last time to give them closure and help them understand why he became their enemy. Using the Founding Titan, he then took their memories away until he died. When Armin remembered the last conversation that he had with Eren, he learned that Eren was able to control titans throughout time. He did this when Dina was about to eat Bertholdt, making her kill his mother instead. This led to him eventually learning that he had the coordinate so his past self would be able to accomplish the same. It also made sure that Armin would inherit the Colossal Titan and save the world.